Cyclone Heidi shuts Port Hedland

Port Hedland Port Authority (PHPA) activated its cyclone contingency plan when first warnings were received, at 5pm on Tuesday (8pm eastern time).

A total of 29 vessels, eight at berths within the harbour, and 21 anchored in the vessel queue, were sent to safer waters away from the path of the storm.

All vessels were cleared and the port closed at 2am on Wednesday morning (5am in the east).

A PHPA representative said that the operation of the contingency plan was a “successful” one, and that all unnecessary staff had been sent home for their safety. It is not known when the port will re-open.

“When you have a cyclone of this proximity, it can take between 24 and 48 hours to pass,” the representative told Lloyd’s List Australia.

“We’ll be keeping a close eye on the [Bureau of Meteorology] reports, and will decide on an opening time based on them.”

The Bureau of Meteorology said the cyclone made landfall at 4:30am local time today and has hit the region with destructive wind forces that are consistently over 130kph.

Residents in low-lying areas were warned that the cyclone could cause an extremely high tide and as up to 250mm of rainfall.

Fortescue and Rio Tinto report that operations have yet to be impacted at minesites. However, the financial impact on the iron ore giants from the closure of Port Hedland is still unclear.

This story first appeared in Lloyd's List Australia.